Occasionalisms in Ukrainian Facebook as a means of negative evaluation

Abstract

This article analyzes neologisms (occasionalisms) appearing in the Ukrainian-language segment of the social network Facebook, which is the most popular network in Ukraine nowadays. Neologisms proved to be the most numerous among the occasionalisms under analysis. They demonstrate negative evaluation connotation primarily that of contempt. The said negative connotations are explicated via word-forming transformations. The most productive and frequent transformations registered in web discourse are: intentional low-case spelling of proper names such as toponyms (official, historical, colloquial or borrowed names of countries and territories), polysonyms, anthroponyms, names of the highest state institutions; metatheses that distort word structure, paronomasic addition, replacement or capitalizing of letters, "graphic transcription", etc. The article focuses on novel secondary designation units that express negative evaluation denoting countries, citizenship, individual nicknames. The paper argues that neologisms generated and used in Ukrainian Facebook reflect individual pragmatics of expressing contempt towards constituents the surrounding reality. The article highlights various structural modifications and "word play" involved in the formation of respective secondary designation units.

Key words: neologisms, occasionalisms, negative connotation, contempt, web discourse.